Wild Pollinator Habitat Benefits Agriculture

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By Elizabeth Schuster, environmental economist

When most people think of pollinators, honey bees are the first thing that comes to mind. But wild pollinators–like bumblebees, sweat bees and squash bees–can be more effective at pollinating than managed honey bees.

In fact, in crop studies they have been credited with doubling the proportion of flowers that develop into mature fruits or seeds.

Despite the evidence of wild pollinators being a viable alternative to managed honey bees, they are only just beginning to catch on as a strategy in the agricultural community, primarily due to a lack of understanding of the costs and benefits of investing in them.

The results can help farmers realize the net economic benefits, on a per-crop basis, that wild pollinator habitat can provide.

The Study

Wild pollinators, like bumblebees, sweat bees and squash bees can be more effective at pollinating than managed honey bees. Photo: Flickr user Jabzg under a Creative Commons license.

The results from our New Jersey study can easily apply to other regions growing similar crops with similar weather conditions, and New Jersey makes a good benchmark because agricultural revenues in the state are an important economic driver: farm revenues reached $1.12 billion in 2012, the highest on record for the state (USDA NASS 2012).

We used U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) data to calculate the costs of implementing one acre of wild pollinator habitat per 24 acres of crop production. The key to the analysis is the percent of yields per crop that result directly from wild pollinators, and determining the production boost (in dollars) that occurs after implementing the habitat. A key component in maximizing the benefit of wild pollinators is actually having that habitat as part of the farm.

The Value of Wild Pollinators

This table shows the value of production attributable to wild pollinators in New Jersey (based on average prices and yields, 2007-2011).

Crop

% of yield from wild pollinators

Value of production ($) from wild pollinators

Value of production boost

Squash

81%

$9,640,000

$1,171,300

Tomatoes

18%

$5,530,000

$149,300

Blueberries

10%

$8,213,000

$123,200

Bell Peppers

10%

$3,301,000

$49,500

Watermelons

10%

$343,000

$5,100

Peaches

9%

$3,142,000

$42,400

Apples

9%

$2,008,000

$27,100

Cucumbers

9%

$1,281,000

$17,300

Cantaloupes

8%

$689,000

$800

Soybeans

5%

$1,583,000

$11,900

In nearly all cases and especially for tomatoes, blueberries, melons, cucumbers, squash, apples, peaches, and bell peppers, gross revenues increase directly because of the installation of pollinator habitat—and that’s even after subtracting out implementation costs. Land areas converted for pollinators were assumed to be fallow or poor quality fields, backyards, or areas in hedgerows and between fields.

Wild Pollinators on the Farm

Wild pollinated cucumbers are less likely to be malformed, making them more marketable for farmers. Photo: Flickr user Chiots Run under a Creative Commons license.

We see that squash are highly dependent upon wild pollinators, and investment in their natural habitat makes economic sense in all of our scenarios. In fact, gross revenues see an increase of $262/acre even when one acre of squash is retired from production.

Blueberries see an increase in gross revenues by $112/acre if one acre of vacant land is available. But would blueberry yields grow as much as squash yields if an acre of productive fruit-growing land were actually converted to wild pollinator habitat? Several studies show that blueberries are prone to under-pollination, which results in a lower berry weight. A good plan then would be to target a parcel in the middle of a vast expanse of blueberries for wild pollinator habitat. The estimated increase in gross revenues in that scenario is $93/acre.

For cucumbers, investing in habitat is budget neutral – gross revenues remain exactly the same before and after. However, cucumbers that are under-pollinated become misshapen, so farmers having to throw away portions of harvests due to malformation would likely see benefit from more appealing end product from the increased number of pollinators at work.

The numbers for melons and tree fruit are misleading, with gross revenues appearing to increase just $0-$100/acre. However, it is important to note that we have used the most conservative numbers for all the crops, and that especially for melons and tree fruit, wild pollinators can boost gains by offsetting a farmer’s costs for rented honey bees.

Soybeans were the one crop that didn’t see an increase in gross revenues. However, the benefits of native pollinators in agriculture are clear. If we allow wild pollinator habitat on farms and elsewhere to disappear, it will be much more difficult and costly to recover lost wild pollinator populations. Therefore, investment in wild pollinator habitat today can lead to savings tomorrow, and serve as a form of crop insurance. Dedicating areas to wild pollinators as part of a farm’s long-term plan can reduce risk and potential income fluctuations associated with land conditions beyond a property’s borders changing over time.

If we value the presence of farms in our communities, and if we value an abundance of produce in our market aisles, we can help by supporting wild pollinators by planting appropriate vegetation on our farms and in our backyards to sustain them.

Elizabeth Schuster has been working as an environmental economist with The Nature Conservancy since 2013. She works with the freshwater, coastal and marine programs to integrate economics and human wellbeing into conservation strategies. In practice, this can mean working with coastal municipalities to help them overcome barriers to implementing nature-based solutions, like living shorelines and salt marsh restoration. Or, it may look like collaborating with county-level partners on nature-based tourism strategies.
More from Elizabeth

I need some help. Is anyone interested in collecting (taking away) any of my pollinators? [one nest of “ground bees”, which look like honey bees, and “bumblebees”

Part II. I sent the following email.The response was essentially nobody wants ground bees and/ or bumblebees., etc. Just kill them all.

Part III. This is the longer version of my email:

Hi !

1. I have acquired a hive of bees.
2. I believe they came from my neighbor’s beehives, who used to have four,or five, possibly six hives. I have forgotten.
2A. She no longer keeps bees.
3. She is moving out or has just moved out of the apartment
she rented for a fair number of years within the past week or ten days.
4. I asked her if she could help me by identifying the
kind of bees I have in my backyard. She insisted that
there 20,000 species and no honeybees make nests/ hives
in the ground.
[This hive is in a hole in the ground in my backyard.]
5. They look like honey bees to me.
I know this does not mean anything scientifically.
6. However because I also know there is a serious problem
with honey bee hives collapsing,
I thought some one might be interested in collecting
these bees which ARE pollinators.
7. I also have some flowers which attract large numbers of
bumblebees during the periods when some
of my flowers are blooming.
8. I have never heard of anyone with a business using
bumblebees – or
any of the other visiting insects which come to my
flowers,
as pollinators, but I thought I would mention this
treasure trove of pollinators I have – in case you
know of some one who
would be interested in these amazing creatures.

9. I do NOT use pesticides and I do NOT use herbicides.
[Well … okay .. on those occasions when poison ivy
becomes established, because I am sensitive to it,
and because it is considered a noxious plant,
if I cannot just uproot it,
and I am forced to concede defeat,
I may be forced to use Round-up. – – But only as
a last resort.]
10. I am looking forward to hearing from you – or one of your staff members.
11. I hope there is some one you know who would be interested in these bees,
because of the various problems related to pollinators.
I really do not want to kill them, but likewise, I cannot keep them either
because of the issues of persons with allergies to bee stings.
Thanks so much !

Julia Johnson
PS. I live near Annapolis, Maryland. I hope this distance is not too far for you to send a friend or to come yourself.

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